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Man accused of dragging state trooper held on bail

OSSIPEE — A Lempster man is being held on $3,000 cash-only bail in connection with a traffic stop last month that ended in a high-speed chase.

month that allegedly involved his possessing and using drugs, dragging a state trooper, and engaging in a high-speed chase that ended with his arrest on nine charges.

Patrick McManus, 32, of Lempster, appeared Jan. 31 before Judge Brian Tucker for a bail hearing in Carroll County Superior Court after the Jan. 6 incident. Tucker granted McManus a review if he is accepted into a drug treatment program.

after which Tucker set the above cash bail and also granted McManus a review of its terms “on preliminary acceptance into a drug treatment program.”

Tucker said cash bail was appropriate because McManus “fled from police and engaged in dangerous conduct while doing so. This shows a strong interest in avoiding apprehension and subsequent prosecution.”

According to court documents, New Hampshire State Trooper Thomas Bednar was traveling on Route 25 in Ossipee at 12:03 a.m. Jan. 6 when he observed a white 1994 Toyota Corolla headed west that was driven by McManus with no front or rear license plates.

Bednar stopped McManus on Newman Drew Road. McManus could not provide proof of the car’s registration and Bednar, who observed two prescription bottles with the labels removed and questioned McManus about what they contained, informed McManus that he was under arrest.

When Bednar opened the Corolla’s driver side door to remove him, McManus disengaged the car’s emergency brake, put the car into drive and dragged the trooper “for a short distance,” the court documents said.

Bednar and a second trooper pursued McManus for nearly half an hour, at times approaching speeds of 60 mph, twice the legal limit. A third trooper laid down stop sticks, as did an Ossipee police officer, and McManus came to a stop in the driveway of an unoccupied seasonal home on Valley Road.

As he refused to comply with orders to exit the car, McManus was observed smoking a substance from a glass pipe, later telling troopers that he was unsure whether he had consumed methamphetamine or bath salts.

Troopers broke the car’s windows to open the doors and then removed McManus, who struggled against being taken into custody.

McManus was charged with reckless conduct, a Class B felony that is punishable by a sentence of between three and a half and seven years in prison.

He was also charged with transporting drugs in a motor vehicle, possession of a controlled drug, resisting arrest and disobeying a police officer, all of which are misdemeanors. He was also charged with failure to display a plate, uninspected motor vehicle, reckless operation and disobeying a stop sign, which are violations.